The Severians were a sect of gnostic
Encratites.
Epiphanius supposes their leader
Severus to have preceded
Tatian (founder of Encratites) but
Eusebius,
Theodoret, and
Jerome make him Tatian's successor. These latter authorities are followed by most ecclesiastical historians, and the silence of
Irenaeus and
Hippolytus regarding Severus renders the later date most probable.
Ephiphanius ascribes to the Severians a belief in the well known Gnostic power
Ialdaboth (Yaldabaoth) who appears in the
Ophite system as the first offspring of
Bythus The Monad in Gnosticism is an adaptation of concepts of the Monad in Greek philosophy to Christian gnostic belief systems.
Overview
The term ''monad'' comes from the Greek feminine noun ''monas'' (nominative singular, μονάς), "one unit," wher ...
and
Ennoia
''Nous'', or Greek νοῦς (, ), sometimes equated to intellect or intelligence, is a concept from classical philosophy for the Faculty (division), faculty of the human mind necessary for understanding what is truth, true or reality, real.
A ...
. The Severians held that Ialdaboth was a great ruler of the powers, that from him sprung the
Devil: that the Devil being cast down to the earth in the form of the serpent produced the vine, whose snake-like tendrils indicate its origin: that the Devil also created woman and the lower half of man.
[Dictionary of Sects, Heresies, Ecclesiastical Parties, ]John Henry Blunt
John Henry Blunt (25 August 1823 in Chelsea – 11 April 1884 in London) was an English divine.
Life
Before going to the University College, Durham in 1850, he was for some years engaged in business as a manufacturing chemist. He was ordained in ...
See also
*
Gnosticism
References
{{reflist
Gnosticism